"A Pathway Behind the Trees"

It was a beautiful morning in the Evergreen Forest. A huge smile came across my face as I looked up at that big blue sky. Watching the clouds as they move softly through the air opened my nose to fresh air. The sun shone bright as the trees danced in the wind. This made it more pleasant to get out and explore nature. I grabbed my backpack, fishing rod, and the cooler as I headed east into the forest. I had decided to go east because I knew that there was a camp on the other side of the river. There was also an old friend who lived in a cabin not far from the area. I figured that I would stop and have lunch with him later on.

Evergreen's was a place that I often visited when I wanted to get away from the world. It was also my second home when I wasn't in the city. I would take three weeks off to enjoy myself. Dali, who was my best girl, would always travel with me on these vacations. She too enjoyed the taste of nature and was always by my side through thick and thin. We were a team and loved to eat when it was time. Inseparable is what we called it, and she never let me forget it.

I always followed the stream along the river. It was like a travel guide for those who hiked in the area. I also kept scarves with me that were red and green to symbolize "Stop" and "Go". The scarves were used for me to mark when and where I started and stopped. It also helped me to remember that I had been in the vicinity of that area before. I took out a green scarf to mark the starting point of entering into the deep part of the forest. I always made sure that I was able to get back the same way that I came. Sometimes things in the forest could get a little overwhelming. Especially when things may look the same, and if you weren't familiar with the area, then you could get lost.

This was a huge place full of trees, mosquitoes, snakes, and animals. Deers were not a problem and somewhat friendly. The bears, on the other hand, were not your friend. I wasn't too worried because they were usually in the deeper part of the forest. This is where Dali would come in. She would always alert me to any potential danger. Dali would make sure that I wouldn't go into certain areas.

I found a spot under an old oak tree and decided to set up camp. The river flowed beautifully as the Kayakers floated downstream. It felt good to know that we weren't completely alone out here. I took my rod and began to bait it with worms for a good bite. Dali barked as I threw the line out into the water. I could tell that she was super excited and ready to eat. I gave her some kibbles so that she could relax, and I drank a beer. Other than the activities on the water and fishing, everything seemed peaceful.

After a while, the fish begin biting. I had caught about five white Perch and two Catfish. It was going on eleven and I wanted to reach the camp before twelve. So Dali and I gathered up and started to move on from the fishing spot. I marked my area with a red scarf to remind me where I stopped. As we started walking alongside the river, things began to get confusing.

Dali always ran ahead of me so that she could sniff the trail for danger. As we continued to walk, our timing seemed very off for our visit. This was strange given the fact that it was eleven o'clock before we left the fishing spot. Dali and I should have reached the campground by now and ended up at my buddy's cabin at twelve pm. For some reason, when I looked back at my watch, the clock had stopped. The dial on my watch was not moving at all. I thought that maybe I had gotten water in it while fishing, so I took my cell phone out. That too had stopped with no service available. This was no coincidence, and I could tell that something was not right. I had a bad feeling that somehow, we had gotten behind schedule.

We continued to walk, and I continued to tie my scarves around the tree. For some reason, this area seemed different from the last time we visited. I came up on another oak tree with a huge hole in the middle. I stopped and whistled for Dali to make sure she was still here with me. Things had gotten quiet, and the Kayakers had disappeared. My gut was telling me that we were not on campground anymore. Nothing at all seemed familiar in this area.

I stared at the old oak tree with the huge hole wondering where it led to. Dali ran around it in circles barking. She too was curious about the oak tree. The hole was huge enough to walk right through, and that is what Dali and I did. We entered the tree trunk only to see that it was empty. It was dark, cold, and very hollow as we went in. I kept looking back to see if I could turn around and go back. The further we walked inside the tree, the smaller the hole became. I was getting worried and a little scared because this should have been impossible, yet it was happening.

Fearing that we would stumble into danger, I took out my flashlight. Although there was nothing in this trunk, it still seemed mysterious. There were carvings of letters and old figures, telling a story or possibly instructions. I wasn't much of an archaeologist, so the thought of deciphering was out of the question. I just took my flashlight and kept walking, hoping that my instincts would lead me to a way out. Some of the figures were huge with monstrous faces, and the small figures had humanlike faces. The tall figures were pointing in the direction of the sun as the others walked one by one in shackles.

There was history here in this old tree, and only the pictures drawn on the bark could tell the story. It seemed like this may have been a sacred place not long ago. There was also a huge snake-like monster with two heads. It seemed to be hovering over the small figures as they walked towards the sun. I didn't understand any of it, and the pictures were beginning to give me the creeps. I began to walk a little faster in the trunk because I thought that something was following me. I realized that there was a possibility that Dali and I were not the only ones on this path.

You could hear the sounds of drums beating as we continued walking through the path. I was expecting something to jump out at us, but nothing happened. You could hear the animals crying out as if they were howling at the moon. Dali was whimpering as she stayed close to my leg. She was very scared, and so was I. We finally came up to another hole, only this time it seemed brighter. It was an image of a galaxy with speckles of light and bluish green rings. I was convinced now that we were definitely on a different path, but to where? I didn't have an answer.

Dali looked at me, and I looked at her. I patted her on the head and said, " Through thick and thin!" We headed inside the mirage of this galaxy only to see that we had entered the campground. The camp was full of campers and people who were sitting around enjoying nature. You could see the kids jumping off the dock into the river. The Kayakers were paddling, and the speed boats were going back and forth in the water. I looked down at my watch as the alarm sounded off. The time was eleven thirty, and we were back on schedule. Looking back, I saw that the hole in the tree trunk was no longer there. I looked around to make sure that I had the right tree. The forest was full of so many green trees that I couldn't tell the difference.

I didn't know what had happened to us along the path. Maybe I had too many beers and dozed off, or maybe we had entered another dimension of some sort. Nevertheless, Dali and I were alive, and we made it to our destination. I looked ahead and told Dali, "Let's go, girl!" We kept moving along the trail so that we could get to the cabin by twelve. I was getting hungry for some fish, and I knew Dali was ready for her snack.

We had arrived at the cabin, and my friend was on the porch getting the coals ready. I looked at him and said, "Hey, you won't believe what we just saw!" He looked at me with a smile and said, "There's nothing out here in this forest but a galaxy of trees!"

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